Stay of W.Va. Mass Asbestos Trial Sought in Supreme Court

WASHINGTON - An application for stay filed in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of hundreds of asbestos defendants urges the nation's highest court to postpone a mass trial scheduled for Sept. 23, at least until it can be determined whether the trial is constitutional. Mobil Corp., et al. v. Adkins, et al., No. 02-132 (U.S. Sup. Ct.).

In an application to stay the mandate of the West Virginia Supreme Court that allowed the trial to proceed, defendants Mobil Corp. and Honeywell International, have requested that the Supreme Court intervene in the case, which involves some 8,000 asbestos plaintiffs and …